Donald Trump’s special envoy to Greenland has said it is time for Washington “to put its footprint back” on the Arctic island, as he wound up his first visit to the island since his appointment in December 2025.Trump has repeatedly argued the US needs to control Greenland – a Danish autonomous territory – because of national security concerns, claiming that if it does not, the island risks falling into the hands of China or Russia.Greenland is on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the US. It is also believed to have untapped rare-earth minerals and could be a vital asset as the polar ice melts and new shipping routes emerge.US envoy to Greenland Jeff Landry, on a provocative visit to the Danish territory, told the Greenlandic daily newspaper Sermitsiaq that Trump would like to see the self-governing territory of the Kingdom of Denmark “become economically independent”. “I think there are some incredible opportunities that can actually lift Greenlanders from dependency to independence,” Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana, added. “I think it’s time for the US to put its footprint back on Greenland,” Landry told AFP during his first visit to Greenland since his appointment as Trump’s envoy in December. “I think that you’re seeing the president talk about increasing national security operations and repopulating certain bases in Greenland,” he said. The United States wants to open three new bases in the south of the territory, according to recent media reports. A 1951 defence pact, updated in 2004, already allows the US to increase troop deployments and military installations on the island as long as it informs Denmark and Greenland in advance. During a commencement speech at the US Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday, Trump once again hinted at US military control of Cuba, Panama and Greenland. “Just as no family can be truly secure in a violent neighbourhood, we will not allow chaos, instability or danger to fester in America’s own back yard,” Trump said.Trump’s remarks came as his administration announced murder charges against former Cuban president Raúl Castro on Wednesday, a major escalation in Washington’s ‌pressure campaign against the island’s communist government. – Guardian